Safety device for clothes wringers



l. s. GUNDERMAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES WRIIIGERS Filed sept. 24. 1923 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 9, 1924..

PATENT "oF-FICE.

LESTER S. GUNDERMAN, QF EITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CLOTHES VIRINGEBS.

Application filed September T0 all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that.. I, Lns'rnn S. GUI-Inni.- MAN, a citizen .of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh7 county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Clothes Wringers, of which the following description, in combination with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on drawings representinglike parts. l

This invention pertains to improvements in a safety feeding device which enables the operator to feed the clothing to. the presser rolls without using the hands as in the ordinary custom.

In this practice with power driven rolls, the fingers often become caught Abetween the presser rolls and are badly injured.

In all other types of feedersyt-he clothing is alw'ays fed directly between vthe presser-rolls. In my invention, I feed the clothing directly lagainst the upper pressrolls; vthe contact of' this roll against the feed plate draws the clothing downward and in between thefpresser-rolls.

The object of this invention is to provide a. feeding device which can be readily attached to the ordinaryI wringer now in use, whereby the clothing can lbe fed to the presser-rolls.

Another object of this invention is the novel mechanism 'adapted to move the feed pla-te toward the presser-rollsgit also has a novel automatic adjustment of feed plate to accommodate diiiierent thicknesses of clothing being fed to the presser-rolls`l Another object of this invention is to 'feed the clothing against the upper press-roll instead of directly betweent-he press-rolls.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pocket having a bottom and back for holding clothing to be fed to presserrolls by feed plate.

So much only of the wringer frameY and accompanying parts are villustrated as deemed necessary to describe the parts which are applied thereto.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a wringer frame and rolls to which my invention is applied and having part of feed-plate and guard broken away showingthe operating parts. r

Fig. 2 is a section takenon line in Fig. 1.

24, 1923. Serial No. 664,337.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line Y-Y in Fig. 2. i

F ig. i is an enlarged section taken on line X-X and shows feed plate in an inoperative position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line X-X and shows position feeder takes when in an effective position as when feeding clot-hing to presser-rolls.

ln a more particular description of the parts, 7 designates the upright frame members; 8 `designates the upper transverse members which unite the uprights; 9 and 10 designate the usual wringer rolls which are driven from one end ina well known manner; 11 is a guard at each end of presser-rolls.

Thus far the elements referred to embody well known conventional parts of a power driven wringer.

My improved constructionof feedingidevice comprises side members 12 having slots 13 provided which extend upward and inward; in these slots the ends of guide bar 14 move freely upward and downward. vLink members 15`are provided for holding guide bar to feed plate 16, in such 'a position that it permits the longitudinal edge of feed plate to move away from the presser-roll when feeding different thicknesses of clothing against the presser-roll. Link members 15 are securely fastened to feed plate 16 which has its lower parallel edge loosely connected to bar 17 which is formed into a bell crank having its bear-- ings at 18 on member 19 and and its ends extending outward forming handles 20 for operating feeder.

Link members 15 have spaces 21 between their inner edges and feed plate 16 for guide bar to move freely upward andy downward when feed pl'ate vis feeding different thicknesses of clothing to presser'- rolls.

Springs 22 are provided to keep guide bar at its farthest outward position inlink members, this gives the upper longitudinal edge of feed plate a resilient movement when it comes in contact with the presserroll.

A stop 23 is provided for feed plate to abut when it has moved upward and inward to its furthest point and it also provides means for keeping feed plate from being carried in between the' presser-rolls.v

Springs 211 are provided to return feed plate to .inoperative position in which position it is back of guard plate. A cover plate 25 is provided forming a guard over the feed plate 16, and protects the same when in an inoperative position.

A pocket 26 is provided for placing clothing in to be fed to presser-rolls.

Member 27 forms a back 'and bottom of pocket which prevents portions of clothing from passing below the feed plate and becoming damaged.

The pocket 26 is provided for the operator to place a portion of clothing, then by lifting on handle20, the bell crank 17 having its bearings at 18 and the center hinged to the ylower edge of feed plate 16 will cause lower edge of feed plate to rise.

The guide bar 14, being loosely connected to feed plate 16 and having its ends in slots 13, causes the upper longitudinal edge of feed plate 16 to move inward until its longitudinal edge strikes the upper presserroll. Thin clothing will cause the upper longitudinal edge of feed plate to move slightly away from the presser-rolls and thick portions of clothing will cause the longitudinal edge to move a greater distance from the presser-roll. I have provided the link members 15 for the accommodation of this variation in the clothing, and the springs 22 to keep feed plate 16 in an outward position so that the upper longitudinal edge of feed plate 16 will always remain in an outward position and always come in contact with the upper presser-rolls.

It will be understood that minor changes involving omissions, substitutions, alterations, and changes in the structure be made without departing from the scope of my invention which is best defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for a clothes wringer having frame members and presser rolls iournaled in said frame members, comprising side members mounted on said frame members, a bell crank having an operating member journaled in said side members, a feed plate with its lower edge hinged to the bell crank and having link members mounted on its ends, a guide bar with its ends mounted in guide slots in said side members and passing through the link members, 'the upper longitudinal edge of said feed plate being arranged to engage clothes and force the same between said presser rolls. a member placed between the feed plate and the presser rolls and fastened to the side members to .prevent the clothes from passing` between'the feed plate and presser rolls when being acted upon by said feed plate,

land a cover plate with its ends fastened to the side members forming a guard over said feed plate and protecting said feed plate on the frame, said side members having elongated slots, a guide bar freely slidable in an upward and downward movement in said slots, a bell crank journaled in said side members, and theoutward extended ends thereof forming handles, a feed plate having its lower edge hinged to said bell crank, link members secured to said feed plate, said guide bar being retained at the outward ends of said link members by springs fastened to said feed plate to resiliently hold the operative edge of the feed plate when in contact with the presser rolls and in feeding different thicknesses of clothes to the presser rolls, said side members at their upper edges being provided with inwardly formed flanges for preventing said feed plate from being drawn in 4between the presser rolls when in Contact with the upper presser roll, a member placed between the feed plate and the presser roll and fastened to the side members to prevent the clothes from passing below the feed plate and presser rolls when being acted upon by said feed plate, springs one end of each being fastened to the bell crankand the other ends to the said side members to automatically move the feed plate to its normal resting position, and a cover plate with its ends fastened to the side members forming a guard over said feed plate and protecting said feed plate when in a normal resting position.

3. An attachment for a clothes wringer having a frame and presser rolls journaled in said frame` comprising side members mounted on said frame, a bell crank having an operating member journaled in said side members, a feed plate with its lower edge hinged to the bell crank and having link members mounted on its ends, a guide bar with its ends mounted in guide slots in said side members and passing through the link members-the upper longitudinal edge of said feed plate being arranged to engage clothes and force the same between said presser rolls, stops positioned on said side members for preventing the upper edge of said feed plate from being forced in between the presser rolls, springs, one end of each being fastened to said bell crank, their other ends being fastened to the end members for automatically moving said feed plate to an inoperative position, a member placed between the feed plate and the presser rolls and fastened to the side members to prevent the clothes from passing below the feed plate and presser rolls, vand a cover plate with its ends fastened to the side. members forming a guard overvsaid'V iisisio feed plate and protecting said feed plate when in an inoperative position.

4. An attachment for a clothes Wringer having a frame and presser rolls journaled therein, comprising side members mounted on the frame, a bell crank journaled in said members, a feed plate with its lower edge hinged to the center portion of said bell crank and having link members on its ends, a guide bar with its ends mounted in guide slots in said side members and passing through the link members, springs fastened to the feed plate to hold the guide bar at the farthest end of said link members yieldingly holding the feeding edge of the feed plate, the upper longitudinal edge of said feed plate being arranged to engage clothes and force the same between said presser rolls,

springs, one end of each being fastened to said bell crank, their other ends being fastened to the side members to move said feed plate to inoperative position, a member placed between the feed plate and the presser rolls and fastened to the side members to prevent the clothes from passing below the feed plate and presser rolls when being acted upon by said feed plate, and a cover plate with its ends fastened to the side members forming a guard over said feed plate and protecting said feed plate when in an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LESTER S. GUNDERMAN. Witness:

CHARLES B. MILLIGAN. 

